Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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82. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the companies the public service can procure services from in the area of industrial relations and human resource support specifically for industrial relations investigations relating to disciplinary matters; and the costs of procuring these services since 2012. [10624/19]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Office of Government Procurement on behalf of the Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform carried out a competitive tender process for the establishment of a Framework Agreement for the provision of External Workplace Investigation Services (EWIS) available to central government departments and other public bodies. It is Government policy as set out in Circular 16/13 that public bodies, where possible, should make use of all such central procurement frameworks. In that context, public bodies may tender for such services themselves in circumstances where their needs are not met by these arrangements or where they can secure better value in the marketplace.

The purpose of this particular framework agreement was to establish a panel of external professional investigators to conduct formal workplace investigation services. For Central Government bodies these services are required in accordance with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) "Dignity at Work" Policy, an Anti-Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Harassment Policy for the Irish Civil Service.

This framework went live in March 2015.

The framework suppliers are as follows:

- Acrux Consulting Limited;

- Collier Broderick Management Consultants and;

- Raise A Concern Limited.

The OGP facilitates competitions to these suppliers under this framework for both Central Government and non-Central Government. It acts in an advisory role in this respect but the individual public bodies are accountable and responsible for the mini-competitions and any subsequent contracts.

The number of investigations undertaken by each company and the cost of each investigation is a matter for relevant Contracting Authority.